A planned 10-story apartment building

Residents say project doesn’t fit in eclectic neighborhood

along Lake Ivanhoe is delayed by an Orlando board.

Drive along Orange Avenue in Ivanhoe Village and you’ll pass rows of well-worn, onestory buildings that are home to an eclectic mix of boutique shops and eateries, from Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven to the White Wolf Cafe.

That, residents told an Orlando planning board Tuesday, is what gives the area just north of downtown its hip authenticity — and why plans for a 10-story, 288-unit residential tower along Lake Ivanhoe should not be rubber-stamped.

“I feel like we’re making concessions,” said Michael Rizzo, who lives on nearby Philadelphia Avenue. “This is a special place in Orlando. We should be making demands. Give us something that we can be proud of. Come back with something cool.”

The board members were swayed, voting unanimously to delay approval of the project known as Broadstone Lakehouse for at least a month. Several on the panel said the project, as currently designed, seemed unlikely to meld well with its surroundings.

“I don’t think I’m there yet, to support this project as it currently is presented,” said Mark Suarez, the board’s vice chair. “I don’t think it matches with the character of the neighborhood. I think … it’s a missed opportunity, especially [for] a unique site like this.”

The project is slated to come before the board again April 18.

Its developers argued that the tower, which would replace Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home at 301 N. Ivanhoe Blvd., would be a boost to nearby businesses as a new source of regular customers.

“What we’re proposing is new residents for the area,” said James Johnston, a Shutts & Bowen attorney representing the project. “That, to me, is certainly compatible with a shopping district. We are providing new patrons for the shopping district, for the restaurants.”

Developers with Alliance Realty Partners are asking the planning board for an exception to build the tower up to 120 feet — about 20 feet taller than

would typically be allowed in the area. They also want a waiver that would let them include about 100 extra units.

The city’s planning department recommended approving those requests, making the board’s deferral Tuesday unusual.

As justification for the tower’s size, Johnston and city planners cited its proximity to amenities, such as Lake Ivanhoe Park; major roadways, including Interstate 4 and Orange Avenue; a major employer, Florida Hospital; and the hospital’s SunRail station.

“We think this is very appropriate and this works,” Johnston said. “This is in an urban core.”

They also pointed out that it’s near another major residential project the board already approved: The Yard at Ivanhoe, which is expected to bring 630 apartments to 7.6 acres a half-block to the east.

Residents noted The Yard also has about 57,000 square feet of retail space, while Broadstone Lakehouse has no retail or other amenities open to the public.

That proved a sticking point for the board.

“I do think there’s a missed opportunity,” said board member Jill Rose. “I think there is some viability for office or for retail space there.”

Doug Metzger, an urban planner with the city, told the board that Orlando’s code doesn’t require ground-floor retail in Ivanhoe Village. In places where it does, like downtown, he noted that retail spaces have sometimes struggled to find tenants.

Residents warned that a flood of new residents may overburden already-busy roads and intersections, a concern some on the board shared. The tower’s appearance in renderings was also criticized as generic; one local called it dormitory-like.

Metzger stressed the city is still working with the developers on the tower’s exterior design, which will face review by another city panel after it wins the planning board’s approval.

“We think it’s a good start,” he said, “but we’re not happy with it yet.”

When the tower is built, it will mean moving a piece of Orlando’s history: The Fairchild Chapel sign, designated a city landmark in 1996 and expected to be donated to a local museum. Given that history, Broadstone Lakehouse “has a responsibility to make sure that this site is treasured the same way the Fairchild sign is currently treasured,” Suarez said.